S-Class (W222/C217/A217) [Spyshots] Mercedes-Benz 2014 W222 S-Class (Spy pics & info)

[mini_cooper4]

Keep in mind that S-Klasse design usually is classic and quite timeless. Why should it this time be different.

Check out the current CLS and SL... that's why

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Check out the current CLS and SL... that's why

In Your Opinion!

 

[mini_cooper4]

In Your Opinion!

Stating the obvious ?
Don't remember when I shared somebody else's opinion...

 

[HighestOfHigh]

Stating the obvious ?
Don't remember when I shared somebody else's opinion...

Well let me refresh your memory -

I think we all know how this car will look like already... for almost a year.
It's a pitty that it'll look dated too soon because of that and the new design direction... we just got used to look at FEPs for too long...
Disappointing!

 

[mini_cooper4]

Well let me refresh your memory -

Nicely played
But then again that wasn't the post you responded to...
No need to bother others with this convo

 

[martinbo]

Forget the little spat boys and girls!

100 Pages of discussion on the next generation Mercedes Benz S-Class! Nice one.

 

[purplehenk]

Forget the little spat boys and girls!

100 Pages of discussion on the next generation Mercedes Benz S-Class! Nice one.

Isn't this the 3rd part of this discussion..?

 

[klier]

Isn't this the 3rd part of this discussion..?

Yeah, it's not the first one for sure. In total it must be like 200 pages already...

 

[martinbo]

Isn't this the 3rd part of this discussion..?

Yes it is, but it's the first of our threads on the new Xenforo platform to hit 100 pages. In total though the W222 has garnered well over 1 000 000 views.

 

[K-A]

Check out the current CLS and SL... that's why

Exactly. M-B isn't designing classics anymore, they're desperate to design polarizing objects. It's like Bangle era BMW but without the revolutionary aspect (following now instead of leading).

 

[Merc1]

Exactly. M-B isn't designing classics anymore, they're desperate to design polarizing objects. It's like Bangle era BMW but without the revolutionary aspect (following now instead of leading).

This is sad but true. After all the design talk is finished, technical this and that, all the sophisticated stuff you can read, talk etc, the bottom line is that these newer Benzes just don't look good, or as good as they should.

I used to tell EnI and all the BMW excuse makers during the Bangle days that good design doesn't need to be explained. Nothing has ever been more true. Aston Martin, Porsche (except the Panamera), Land Rover, even Jaguar and now BMW don't have to explain anything, all you have to do is look at their cars and the rest is history. Good design doesn't need any explanation!

Simple fact is that Mercedes used to make some of the best looking cars on the road, and nothing needed to be explained or detailed, the design spoke for itself and it did so for years on end. They'll come back around K/A trust me, and you and I will likely be right there with checkbooks in hand. Till then its BMW and Porsche for me.

M

 

[Wolfgang]

MB Passion may have spotted an S600?

 

[K-A]

This is sad but true. After all the design talk is finished, technical this and that, all the sophisticated stuff you can read, talk etc, the bottom line is that these newer Benzes just don't look good, or as good as they should.

I used to tell EnI and all the BMW excuse makers during the Bangle days that good design doesn't need to be explained. Nothing has ever been more true. Aston Martin, Porsche (except the Panamera), Land Rover, even Jaguar and now BMW don't have to explain anything, all you have to do is look at their cars and the rest is history. Good design doesn't need any explanation!

Simple fact is that Mercedes used to make some of the best looking cars on the road, and nothing needed to be explained or detailed, the design spoke for itself and it did so for years on end. They'll come back around K/A trust me, and you and I will likely be right there with checkbooks in hand. Till then its BMW and Porsche for me.

M

Agreed. Little to no emphasis on timelessness nowadays by them. Totally about not needing to be explained, I believe that to be true with CARS especially. When it comes to automotive design, it either flows nicely or it doesn't!

 

[Huckfeldt]

Well i think after experimenting with the 2000s era, now Merc has found its design identity. One evidence is how the interiors differ greatly from the E-CLS-S unlike bmw's 5-7. Even audi is following suit, their next gen models will break the old same sausage different length philosophy.

 

[K-A]

Well i think after experimenting with the 2000s era, now Merc has found its design identity. One evidence is how the interiors differ greatly from the E-CLS-S unlike bmw's 5-7. Even audi is following suit, their next gen models will break the old same sausage different length philosophy.

I think the issue is that M-B has no design identity. They've flip flipped more in the past few years than any politician! They've done so many about-faces and language changes, and extensive facelifts. The E Class is getting a carbon copy of the CLS interior for the facelift it looks like, so perhaps in yet another about face they're adopting more design similarities going forward.

 

[deity]

I'm having trouble with the "no design identity" part.

 

[Merc1]

I think personally that the Mercedes lineup has gotten too big for them to have all the cars under the same design theme at the same time. Think about it. The 190E, 300E, 560SEL all looked the same, but different, yet instantly recognizable as Mercedes-Benzes. Ditto for the previous C, E and S, all were soft and "pretty" cars and they looked great IMO. Now the current C and E are alike, but the S doesn't look like them. The GLK is somewhere on its own. The SL is stuck in the middle. The CLS doesn't look like any other premium Benzes, it shares more with the A-Class and GL, and GLK. The SLK and SL look alike, but the SLS doesn't look like either. Yet (and rightly so) the SLS arguably looks the best. Mercedes just doesn't know where they're going IMO.

All these new BMWs have the same beautiful look, from the baby 5er (3er), 5, 6, and 7, with the 5 and 6's looking the best IMO. Even the little X1, X3 and upcoming X5 will all have that cohesive look. Now BMW could change more interior wise between like the 5 and the 7. 3 and 6 has new takes on the same interior theme and the 6er interior is the best yet I must say.

Ditto for Audi, but they've arguably taken it too far with every car looking exactly alike, but still nothing in their lineup can be called ugly. Nothing, IMO.

M

 

[K-A]

I'm having trouble with the "no design identity" part.

Compare Mercedes' current lineup to BMW and Audi. Yes the two latters are WAY too far in "identity", but for the sake of argument....

M-B, aside from their grille's, literally have no identity anymore. The E Class is drastically wedge shaped, extremely angular, then a couple of years later, M-B starts mashing up the angularity with a return to "organic soft shapes".... keep in mind, they jarringly went to angular forms right after very rounded and soft designs to begin with. Now they've gotten so sloppy that they're actually masking their previous "about face" designs with rounded bumpers and front ends and different interiors, making for a mismash of styling. No other luxury manufacturer does or HAS TO completely redesign their cars with facelifts (C Class got an all new interior, W212 is getting "ever panel replaced but the roof and front doors" apparently. These things are very unbecoming for a premium manufacturer who's supposed to exude confidence and careful evolution.

What's M-B's design identity? Whatever trendy LED fad is happening? That's not an identity because it's ever changing. Clearly it's not into the mess of lines-play they're using, as every car they have is employing different wayward lines. The A and B-Classes have so many different motions it's impossible to nail an identity into that.

Look at the W212 to W211, completely different look, M-B totally abandoned their evolutionary approach that made them so famous. The list goes on.

IMO, if I had to find an identity with M-B designs that I think they do very well (aside from grilles, obviously), without being homogenous, it's shadow-profiles. I.e the basic "silhouette" of the cars, without the mess of shapes and lines that they can't seem to make up their minds on. They somehow manage to make them look different yet tied together.

 

[K-A]

I think personally that the Mercedes lineup has gotten too big for them to have all the cars under the same design theme at the same time. Think about it. The 190E, 300E, 560SEL all looked the same, but different, yet instantly recognizable as Mercedes-Benzes. Ditto for the previous C, E and S, all were soft and "pretty" cars and they looked great IMO. Now the current C and E are alike, but the S doesn't look like them. The GLK is somewhere on its own. The SL is stuck in the middle. The CLS doesn't look like any other premium Benzes, it shares more with the A-Class and GL, and GLK. The SLK and SL look alike, but the SLS doesn't look like either. Yet (and rightly so) the SLS arguably looks the best. Mercedes just doesn't know where they're going IMO.

All these new BMWs have the same beautiful look, from the baby 5er (3er), 5, 6, and 7, with the 5 and 6's looking the best IMO. Even the little X1, X3 and upcoming X5 will all have that cohesive look. Now BMW could change more interior wise between like the 5 and the 7. 3 and 6 has new takes on the same interior theme and the 6er interior is the best yet I must say.

Ditto for Audi, but they've arguably taken it too far with every car looking exactly alike, but still nothing in their lineup can be called ugly. Nothing, IMO.

M

IMO Audi is too far on the homogeny, and M-B is way too discordant giving an "amateur" look to the lineup and designers. BMW IMO is also too far on the homogeny on some of their models, namely the 3.5.7's, but they're not as far as Audi in it. I think a perfect balance between Audi and M-B would be ultimate; strong confident lineage but specific notations to each design to ensure even laymans couldn't totally confuse them with each other, making it so that you literally don't feel like you see the same car "everywhere".

What REALLY got me to understand BMW's current design team capabilities as vastly superior to M-B's was oddly enough in the new "FWD Minibus" they showed.

The new B-Class looks preposterous with that same old boring shape and then some lines scribbled on it. M-B showed that they went to the lowest-common-denominator to try and inspire "interest", which is in superfluous details. BMW's Concept showed that they actually *designed* a holistically ATTRACTIVE FWD MINIBUS.... something we'd thought was impossible. M-B's current team doesn't have the capability to do that, so they draw random nonsensical lines. Now, the A-Class is sure cunning and interesting, and will probably be seen as the most attractive car in class by many, since its insanely-nonsensical lines are almost appropriate to that genre of car (though IMO look like a bad joke), not to mention its form is very tactfully over-dramatized for a car of that nature.... however, save for the 1-ers putrid face and bland rear, the overall design looks more purposeful and well thought out than the A, IMO.

 

[MTZ100]

I know many are getting sick of the “lines” discussion, but after seeing those recent spy shots, I really don’t think this car will be ugly nor have any kind of jarring effect, just that it will undoubtedly have of-its-time throwaway design, and lack any kind of a stately presence that makes the S what it is.

At first the wheel arches and general stubbiness of the W221 put me off, but looking at it now, it really does have a strong head of state vibe—more so than the W220 and W140, and to me it is fits as the modern equivalent of the W126.

I have accepted many of poor design choices Mercedes have made with this generation, but I still feel the S-Class should be held to the highest critical standards, and people shouldn’t just defend it or make do like many have done with the CLS and SL, among others.

I know some will say this is just my opinion—and it is—but anything good should have an instant, unquestionable effect; If someone has to say that you don’t “get it”, it more than likely doesn’t hold up to the masses.